Ron Paul will be back in Iowa today and Tuesday after spending the weekend celebrating the new year with his family in Texas.

The break from the campaign trail had been scheduled months in advance, campaign staff members said.

Paul will be joined by his son, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, during stops in Des Moines, Davenport, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls and Mason City.

Campaigning alone in New Hampshire, Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman says Iowa plays an important role in winnowing the field, but it will be New Hampshire that sends a message about which candidate is most electable.

The former Utah governor is skipping Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses and has been focused only on New Hampshire, while other candidates are mostly focused on Iowa.

New Hampshire holds the first primary Jan. 10.

After a town hall meeting in Derry on Sunday, Huntsman told reporters that Iowa plays an important role in narrowing the field, and that Rick Santorum’s recent rise there shows that traditional grass-roots campaigning is still important.

But he said it will be New Hampshire that sets the standard going forward.